---
title: White Paper
tags: [Writtens]

---

# White Paper

:::info
**Released:** May 3rd, 11:59pm EST
**Due:** May 15th, 11:59pm EST
:::
:::danger
There are **NO LATE DAYS** allowed for this assignment. You must submit your whitepaper by 11:59pm on May 15th. Anything later than that will receive a 0.
:::
## Introduction

Like other technical domains, cryptocurrencies and blockchains tend to have underlying [white papers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_paper)---documents designed to outline a project's goals, purpose, and underlying technologies (consensus algorithm, structure, etc...). For this project, you will conceptualize your own cryptocurrency and create a white paper. First, you should read a few famous white papers for reference.

## References

Most of the following whitepapers won't delve too deep into the technicalities and specifics of their underlying technologies. Instead, they're meant to give a sense of how their creators dealt with issues such as **scaliblity, security, and consensus.** What seems to be the driving principles and philosophy behind the project; what problem are they trying to solve?

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#### [Bitcoin Whitepaper](https://bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf)
The Bitcoin Whitepaper is most well known for its brevity. As you read, it may be helpful to consider how the preceding **2008 Financial Crisis** may have affected the principles, language, and design choices reflected in this whitepaper (so much so that Satoshi included a reference to it on the [Bitcoin Genesis Block](https://miro.medium.com/max/663/0*yXKX_m5U2m9UTWMM)). Additionally, consider the most sensationalized element of Bitcoin's whitepaper: the anonymity of [Satoshi Nakamota](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satoshi_Nakamoto).

#### [Ethereum Whitepaper](https://ethereum.org/en/whitepaper/)
A notable stylistic departure from Bitcoin's Whitepaper, Ethereum's Whitepaper is more rigorous. Arriving later to the party, Ethereum was influenced by Bitcoin's shortcomings, as can be seen in the [History](https://ethereum.org/en/whitepaper/#history), [Mining Centralization](https://ethereum.org/en/whitepaper/#mining-centralization), and [Scalability](https://ethereum.org/en/whitepaper/#scalability) sections in particular.

#### [Monero Whitepaper](https://github.com/monero-project/research-lab/blob/master/whitepaper/whitepaper.pdf)

CryptoNote (which would later become the basis for [Monero](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monero)) approached its whitepaper as a way to "study and propose solutions to the main deficiencies of Bitcoin", going so far as to have an entire section titled **"Bitcoin drawbacks and some possible solutions."** As such, it can be insightful to see what the developers saw as the primary shortcomings of Bitcoin. Additionally, Monero expands beyond the traditional cryptocurrency realms of scalability and consensus to challenge an issue not discussed as much in the previous whitepapers: **privacy**.

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Students are allowed (and encouraged) to study other whitepapers to help them in their design process, such as [Solana's](https://solana.com/solana-whitepaper.pdf), [Binance's](https://www.exodus.com/assets/docs/binance-coin-whitepaper.pdf), and so on. Additionally it may be helpful to look at blockchain technologies that don't have whitepapers and rather just bodies of research, such as [Cardano](https://whitepaper.io/document/581/cardano-whitepaper).

## Assignment
For this assignment, you are tasked with using everything you have learned about blockchain technology thus far to create your very own whitepaper. While this assignment is designed to be as freeform as possible, there are certain specifications your whitepaper must meet, such as containing a discussion about a consensus algorithm, previous whitepapers' shortcomings, and the issues you are trying to address. Consult the **grading section at the bottom of this page** for a full list of requirements.

Feel free to be as creative, logical, or scientific as you want with your whitepaper. Some additional discussion points may be whether your whitepaper's creator decides to remain anonymous, how your whitepaper is acting as a response to the world's current circumstances, choosing a relevant/significant cyrptocurrency name, etc...

Your assignment must be **between than 1500 - 2000 words**. If you're worried you'll go over and have tons of great ideas, just let us know (privately) on Ed and we'll work something out.

:::warning
**When using sources, cite them!** Failing to do so constitutes plagiarism and will be dealt with as such. Pick your favorite citation method, and be sure to give credit where it's due.
:::

## Handin

1. Log into [Gradescope](https://www.gradescope.com/).
2. Submit your whitepaper as a PDF

## Grading
This assignment is out of **90 points**.

In addition to the course review, your grade will be determined by whether or not your whitepaper contains sufficient discussion of the following topics:

| Criteria | Points |
|:-------------------------------------------------------- |:-------:|
| *Consensus Algorithm* | 10 |
| *Scalability, Security, and Resource-Efficiency* | 10 |
| *Previous Whitepaper Shortcomings* | 15 |
| *Goals and How Your Cryptocurrency Achieves Them* | 20 |
| *Basic Cryptocurrency Structure (blocks, hashs, etc...)* | 20 |
| *Method of Issuing Tokens* | 15 |
| **Total** | **90** |